You might want to try looking into one of the compact back packs made by Camel Back - the ones that have the vinyl water bottle in them and mouth piece. I have one that is very light weight and snug fitting - you can easily jog with it on and not notice it. Anyway, they come in numerous sizes and can easily carry a few extra things like a spare fin, downhaul line, etc. plus you can hydrate yourself if needed.

You're lucky to have suffered no board damage. Some years back they were dredging the boating channel out in front of the docks at Lavallete and I hit a submerged platform of some type at top speed near the southern most dock - sent me flying and sheared off the tail of my board. Surpisingly the fin only had a small knick in it and I still use it today.

I would go out on a SUP with a long fin or stick attached and try and run into things and prod around with the paddle then mark them with your string and cork idea perhaps using a mask and snorkel.
Someone here made a buoy out of PVC pipe to mark the keyhole in the reef we have to fit thu.
If you go out on a sunny day with zero wind and no waves it might be easier to see the objects.

Just curious beaglebuddy, were you talking about going through the reef at Anini Beach?

Straight out from the boat ramp there is a keyhole where you can pass thru and go another 30 yards and gybe, still inside the main reef however.
You can sail in this area even during low tide.
It's a really short reach but it gets you lots of practice gybing

I think the best solution here is either:
a. Carry a really small freestyle or thruster fin + screw + tab + cheap stainless steel multi tool in your harness pocket it itíll all fit. The idea being: this is only to get you back to your car for a real fin.
b. Carry a 4 ft. piece of line in the harness pocket to lash your harness to the back footstrap to get back. This is a miserable experience, but it works. Unfortunately, many modern harnesses (ie. Dakine) are impossible to lash to your footstrap without additional line, or ditching your spreader bar.

I had to body drag about a mile back to shore after losing a fin to a submerged tree two years ago, and discovering that there was no way to attach my Dakine T3 to the board without dismantling it. Even a 5 cm thruster fin will be surprisingly effective at getting you back, when compared to having to use your harness or having nothing under the board._________________Kansas City

After one afternoon in Santa Barbara learning to windsurf, I took a vacation to Kauai and my brother-in-law loaned me a waterlogged 50 lb. longboard w/o a daggerboard and a 5.3 pinhead sail. I took it to Anini on 5 different days and had a blast learning to windsurf inside the reef. Nice sandy beach, but it got very shallow about half the way to the reef. The gnarly coral peppered with tons of urchins effectively taught me how to tack w/o falling in in no time at all.

A couple years later, I came back and was sailing through a gap in the reef to the outside. Once outside the reef, the open ocean sailing was great. I have to admit though, I was a bit worried about finding the same spot coming back, but as things turned out, it wasn't a problem. Maybe it was high tide and I just got lucky.

Anini reminds me of the DistilleryBeach right in front of the D restaurant at HalfMoonBay. I used to sail there on NW winds, just sailing down and back the little pond for the spectators eating at the restaurant.
Middles at Hanlei better.
Dumptrucks/Tunnels even better.
Mahalappu kinda fun Syltish style.
Lihue Airport fun slalom sailing in the ocean.

this was only my second time in the water for the season and i hit a submerged object in about waist deep water at full speed that took my 41cm straight fin clean off. what ever it was, it was big, and it didnt budge an inch when i went flying over it.

This is the kind of crap that's got me fairly concerned and hesitant to get back on the water post-sandy. I'm inclined to wait a few more weeks and let the cleanup crews finish their work. I would say you got away fairly lucky since this is the type of scenario that can wreck boards, masts, booms, and bodies. My hope is that you were sailing in an area that hasn't been cleaned out by the crews yet.

FYI, there is a website setup to report the progress of the NJ waterway cleanup and it looks like they're keeping it fairly up to date.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/special/hurricane-sandy/wwdebris.htm
They list a phone number, 1-877- WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337), set up for reporting debris. I'd recommend calling them and making a report. Perhaps we should all be sailing with GPS units so we can mark waypoints of any debris we encounter and then notify the DEP.

Anyway, as far as carrying a spare fin, I'd think adding a couple loops on the back of a waist harness to hang the fin from would be pretty easy and probably the safest route. Although I wouldn't consider this to be a fix for the problem. Let's try to get the debris marked and removed.

If you occasionally practice some fin first sailing, you will find that finless sailing is easier. I heard this for years in ABK clinics (and will sail my board out of the shallows fin first every once in awhile). Several years ago a buddy of mine lost his fin...I begged him to switch gear so I could try the finless technique. We did, I did, and it worked. On a quarter mile beam reach I landed about 50 feet downwind of the launch.

I'm inclined to wait a few more weeks and let the cleanup crews finish their work. I would say you got away fairly lucky since this is the type of scenario that can wreck boards, masts, booms, and bodies. My hope is that you were sailing in an area that hasn't been cleaned out by the crews yet.

FYI, there is a website setup to report the progress of the NJ waterway cleanup and it looks like they're keeping it fairly up to date.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/special/hurricane-sandy/wwdebris.htm
They list a phone number, 1-877- WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337), set up for reporting debris. I'd recommend calling them and making a report. Perhaps we should all be sailing with GPS units so we can mark waypoints of any debris we encounter and then notify the DEP.

Anyway, as far as carrying a spare fin, I'd think adding a couple loops on the back of a waist harness to hang the fin from would be pretty easy and probably the safest route. Although I wouldn't consider this to be a fix for the problem. Let's try to get the debris marked and removed.

sm

Thanks Bred, i already sail with a GPS, and i didnt think of marking the position! DUH!

i am not as optimistic as you are. I think the ONLY thing they are going to care about is clearing the channels. ive seen some barges moving big trees and parts of houses away but these objects were huge. I really dont think anyone is going to care if we are finding things in shallow / waist deep water they are so overwhelmed and over their heads with just land side clean up...

thank you for the contact info, i will put that in my phone the least we can do is call and report the stuff, even if they dont do anything about it.

i think the plan is to sew a loop into the back of my harness with a clip or good velcro for a sub 20cm fin with a thumb screw._________________Lavallette & Seaside NJ
Fanatic Shark 145l 263cm
Fanatic Eagle 113l 247cm
Fanatic Freewave 95l 240cm

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